GOOOH! Questions Answered Outside of For/Against

Long political answer to a website's questionaire. I did not like the for/against format and felt the need to answer more fully. I'm like that, I guess. No, I'm like that... no guessing.

 

GOOOH! Questions Answered Outside of For/Against

As answered by Dave Doc Rogers

c.20090627

 

GOOOH! Has sponsored a website where they are looking for alternate candidates. I get that and respect that. However, the questionnaire allots for an off/on answer only. In their case more exactly, they allot for ‘for’ or ‘against.’ If you want to limit someone and pigeon-hole them well, do not give them room to answer adequately. It is an interrogation technique designed to control the answers. As I have never been one to accept typecasting, pigeon-holing, or other such limitation, I answer in the only way I can. My way under my rules and my limitations.

 

To be honest, even my answers will be incomplete. There probably is not enough time or bytes available to answer every permutation to the living algebraic equation called ‘life.’ So I will answer these questions here and as honestly in brevity as I can. I thank you in advance for your indulgence. There are just some things I cannot leave alone. Good? Bad? I do not know. It is just the way it is for me. I accept it.

 

Website: http://goooh.com/Home.aspx

 

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against limiting the total amount of money that any person can inherit in their lifetime, including through trusts and other “loopholes”, to 250 times the median income ($11.5 million)?

 

DJR: Our footprint on North America was started by men and women who went out and did what was necessary to make a living. If they did that well, they left some to their children and their children’s children. Why should we as a people tax or impede or limit such tenacious good work to make their labors to no effect? I would not vote for or sign any agreement to this effect. I would find ways to encourage such outstanding capability. I celebrate parents and grandparents that are able to bless their descendants in such a way.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against amending the Constitution to make abortion illegal at all times, from the moment of conception, except under specific circumstances such as rape, severe birth defects, incest, or threats to the mother’s life? This would include making "the Pill" and the newer "morning-after pill" illegal.

 

DJR: Life, human life, should be sanctified. It should be seen as another human in-utero. When is the cessation of defenseless human life tolerable? I am against the abortion, the aborting, of human life.

 

People who chose chemical solutions in birth control run health risks. I do not recommend such courses. I do recommend abstinence. It is not very popular. Aborting human life as a birth control or remedy for unplanned parenthood should not be an option.

 

Amend the US Constitution? No. Strike down the Roe v Wade ruling by the USSC as unconstitutional legislation from the high court? Yes. There was no constitutional question in either case. Roe or Bolton. The named parties even worked against the organizations pushing the case to be legislated by the bench. What was in question was women’s rights. The USSC should have showed a bit more strength against the press. They had the job for life. They weren’t going to get fired. They should have not heard the case or ruled its lack on constitutionality and opined the need for ‘individual sovereignty’ as an address to women’s rights and as an extension to civil rights. But, they did not and 30,000,000+ human lives have been aborted, ended without voice in the matter.

The administration of medical practice and licensing still lies within the powers of the states to oversee; with some oversight by the federal government but not the administration thereof.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against multiplying by ten the prison sentence of those convicted of possessing drugs that are not willing to provide information that leads to the conviction of their supplier?

 

DJR: No. Those convicted of selling /supplying illegal drugs or legal drugs illegally should be sentence to hard labor. They should not be housed in air-conditioned, carpeted facilities watching their favorite TV shows. Likewise, they should not be crammed into facilities that are wall-to-wall blocks of concrete and iron bars. There should be equal effort made at education, reform, and restitution. They should not go ‘inside’ to learn how to do better what got them inside in the first place. They should learn how to do without it.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against programs to provide vocational training for prisoners in their last year of incarceration, in an attempt to rehabilitate them, limiting the expense to 25 percent of the average cost per prisoners (this would be a $7,500 limit with today’s $30,000 average)?

 

DJR: The Fed should work with the states to develop programs that make the correctional facilities profitable, to a limited extent self-funding, and with the end goal of returning men, women, and teenagers back into society to be a part of society, to help build up our society. There should be some funding and oversight put into the programs by the Fed, but the Fed should not be the sole source ad infinitum.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against opening the borders and allowing any person wishing to enter the country to do so without restriction?

 

DJR: I will vote against open borders. While I would like to think that the USA is an open society, freely accepting all people, history has proven that is not viable. The USA and our allies have real enemies that seek to cause real harm. The USA cannot freely accept immigrants or visitors as it once did. The process should be reviewed. Investment in technologies and cross-sharing of databases with state and federal law enforcement organizations should happen. The benefits would be tremendous. The US Border Patrol should be separated from Immigration. It should be stand alone or merged into the US Marshals. In any event, it needs to be better funded to accomplish the mission it is given.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against establishing a maximum timeline for all criminal cases, ensuring that court proceedings begin within three months, end within one year, that appeals extend no more than two years through the highest court possible, and that both the defense and prosecution must adhere to the timeline with penalty of contempt of court charges and license revocation if they do not – this includes death penalty cases?

 

DJR: If the Legislative body could have any influence to mandate or control this area of the Judicial body, I would vote for a form of time mandates along with a redress into tort reform. Part of the bloat on the current legal system is spurious tort or suit where someone in effect is suing because they feel they can. This certainly weighs down the system. Additional funding should be considered to place more front line justices at the local and state levels. Perhaps, in an effort to ease the burden on the courts system, great emphasis could be placed toward binding arbitration or increasing the number of justices of the peace. This requires additional research and study on my part. I am willing to listen both sides of the argument and look to real data to validate.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against amending the Constitution with a “Law of Common Sense” that requires judges to hold individuals accountable for their actions, particularly when the predominant majority of society would have known better? For example, Exxon would not be held liable if a teenager douses his hair with gasoline and then sets it on fire.

 

DJR: The Darwin Award Act? No. I would not amend the US Constitution for this. The state of conscience of the justices hearing these cases are deserving of more scrutiny than the plaintiffs bringing the suits. “If it is reasonable to believe the plaintiff should have known better” is a judgment requiring ‘common sense’ on the part of the judicator hearing the case. In the case of the plaintiff ordering hot coffee then suing because they were burnt by the ‘hot coffee’ would have been a case not heard in my court. And, courts costs would have been assigned to the plaintiff as well. Cases of ‘unreasonable’ judgment should not be heard unless it is by the state for psychological evaluations.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against establishing a .xxx Internet domain (e.g., www.notforkids.xxx) and imposing steep fines and significant jail time for all sites that provide access to pornographic material outside of this domain?

 

DJR: While not exactly censorship and impinging on freedoms of press, it may be seen as such. This is very much like zoning clubs and bars away from schools and churches, so I would be for such a designation. This would certainly limit the number of ‘close typed’ sites that are taking advantage of being similar to a popular website. The difficulty in execution and administration will be from determining ‘professional’ websites versus ‘fan-site’ websites. Fan-site websites could argue not-for-profit, art, or freedom of press. It would be difficult to administer, difficult to enforce across-the-board. This concept needs further debate and brainstorming for possible ideas for execution, maintenance, and enforcement.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against allowing people who entered the country illegally to receive Social Security or other government benefits?

 

DJR: For me this is a no brainer. Against. People who enter the USA illegally should not be afforded any of the privileges of citizenship; to include gainful employment, property ownership, or access to federal/state/local services. If this seems hard or harsh, remember this. They entered illegally. They are criminals.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against establishing English as the national language, and requiring its exclusive use in all public institutions and on all public material?

 

DJR: American English is the predominant language in the USA. It should be made the official language of this country. When I travelled to Spain, I had to speak Spanish. When I travelled to France, I had to speak French. When I travelled to Italy, I had to speak Italian. Of the people I found that spoke English, they were tourist like me or vendors selling to tourists. If you go to a country that speaks a language other than your native language, you should expect to learn the language of that host country. There are in fact many languages within the USA but only one language common to all of them, American English.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against requiring that only the Constitution and the laws of the United States be considered when deciding cases or writing opinions, in effect preventing judges from applying the “standards” of international behavior?

 

DJR: USA law has as part of its history English Common Law, Dane Law, Roman Law and writings, Greek Law and writings, and the influences of Judeo-Christianity. The distinction should not be toward the rich history of legal thought but toward to the acceptance of the influence of what is currently happening with other countries by their legal tradition or current thought. There are many countries in the world that share no similarity in legal practice. Our laws should not stricture nor influence their legal systems as theirs should not influence ours. Now to commonly held agreements in law through treaty or what should be basic human rights, that is a different subject altogether. Our justices should set judgment based on USA legal precedent and not international precedent. Immigrants coming to the USA come under the strictures and freedoms of the USA legal system and Constitution. Those things left behind are left behind.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against defining marriage as the union between any two people (of legal age)?

 

DJR: The state of marriage is not a constitutional issue. That question lies within the purview of the states as oversight of licenses and social contracts. The state of marriage is a covenant between a man [human male] and a woman [human female]. It has been adopted that these covenants that exist in marriage extend to social and welfare decisions for the other in cases of incapacitation or as inheritor of the balance of the estate. For those seeking similarity via same sex unions, there are legal remedies and filings that make it so. Having a law or not having a law does not make a same sex union the same as a male-female union, aka marriage. I know this is an unpopular opinion, but it is reality.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against reducing our dependence on foreign oil by at least 5 percent year over year each year you are in office?

 

DJR: I would have to look at the entire picture. Is 5% per year enough? Whether global warming is caused by carbon fuel use notwithstanding, uncontrolled dependence on foreign governments for our own security and well-being is not sound risk management. There are alternative energy sources. There are really smart men and women in this country. Let these really smart people get together with good leadership. Let the USA partner with US companies to build alternative energy sources and infrastructure to make economically viable to bring these energy sources to our citizens.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against limiting medical care for those serving life sentences or on death row to only comforting medication?

 

DJR: Basic human rights are basic human rights. We cannot take away appropriate health care resources. In the case of death row inmates, I know it seems out of sync but they deserve their due legal opportunities. We cannot limit that.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against electing our president with a popular vote, replacing the Electoral College?

 

DJR: The Electoral College was designed to impede mob rule. Does it need a revisit? Yes. I propose “One State, One Vote.” The current system is based on population within a state and does not give opportunity for all States of the USA to have a voice. Smaller and far western states, other than California, typically do not have much of a voice in how they are governed. Win the ten most populous states and the candidate wins. Forty states and millions of other American do not get to have a voice in how they are governed.

 

“One State, One Vote” gives the entire state as one vote to the candidate that wins that state’s election. Ties still go to the Senate for tie-breaking votes, as is under the current process. Instead of watching the few election states in the race to 270, everyone watches every state in the race to 26. I am certain that Puerto Rico and Guam would consider application to statehood if they felt they would have an equal and fair voice.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against privatizing government initiatives, including at least one of the following: national parks, highways, mail, licensing of the airwaves?

 

DJR: Against. There are some things that need to remain under the Fed purview. Some things should not. Health care should not.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against a law that requires a graduated pay scale that includes paying the top 25% of teachers double what the bottom 25% earn?

 

DJR: It should be studied more closely to ensure it is a fair and equitably managed system of rewarding the top performing teachers. Top performers should have bonus opportunities for higher performing students, having higher teacher ratings [by peer, by administrators, by state/district oversight, by student]. I am not sure 25% is the right number. I could not support paying the top double of what the bottom rated are paid. Tenure or time in service compensation would also be a factor. Bottom performing teachers who consistently perform in the bottom tier should be remediated and removed if consistently a bottom tier teacher after remedial efforts. The same would be applicable of principals and administrators if the school or school district consistently underperforms.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against excluding a plaintiff’s legal representative from receiving any portion of a punitive award, splitting the payment between the plaintiff and charity?

 

DJR: Against. Attorneys-by-the-hour would not be tenable for lower income plaintiffs who could not afford an attorney without award splitting as method of payment. Should there be limits? Absolutely. This is something that requires a review of the process and effects of decision long term on legal protections of companies and citizens at varying economic capabilities.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against a law that says under no circumstances should the life of a man or his home be jeopardized at the expense of any plant or animal, regardless of the situation?

 

DJR: If a person is the rightful and legal holder of property, their well being and their use of the property – consistent with local, state, and federal regulation – is theirs to do with as they please. If someone wants to preserve something on the property they can offer to purchase the property or the item then legally care for the item elsewhere unless they purchased the property. The landowner should retain all of their rights and privileges without interference from outside influences.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against a requirement that all government programs have a clearly established objective and an end date of no more than ten years from the date of creation?

 

DJR: Absolutely for. Every business person understands they must have a business case that includes objectives and periodic reviews. The same should be said of every fed/state/local program proposed and put into action. As they program nears the end of its cycle it should present its business case and justification petition to gain additional funding or authorization to continue. Some programs [like Social Security Administration] should come under annual governmental review and the business case represented every year. Those persons should be held accountable for the good management of the program/business or have their employment terminated.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against using our military to control our borders and prevent illegal immigration?

 

DJR: Our military forces’ role is protection of the USA, the common defense. In the role of border protection is our Coast Guard, Border Patrol, US Marshal Service, FBI. These units should receive necessary funding to allow them to meet their mission. The Border Patrol needs to be its own entity and work hand-in-hand with the USCG, USMS, and FBI.

 

To bolster our military capabilities for homeland defense, if ever necessary, I propose the Home Regiment. Each state, based on size and population, would host a Home Regiment for the USAA. Each regiment would consist of 3 brigades of infantry, armor / artillery, and CAP. USAA active duty members could post for available positions within the unit back in the ‘home’ state. This could help in retention of forces. This could also provide the USAA units that are well trained to operate in varied terrain and weather conditions.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against limiting foreign aid to ten or less countries in any year?

 

DJR: Foreign aid is a good thing and it is something the USA should continue to do. The amount and where distributed should be controlled and limited. The USA should not give away everything it has and forget its people at home. A percentage of the budget should be set aside and distributed. Once out of funds, there are no more funds to give. Where the USA cannot give we should encourage other countries who can give to give.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against allowing a defendant or claimant's personal history to be admitted as evidence during a trial?

 

DJR: It really depends on the nature of the case or suit. The presiding judge will have to determine if it is relevant therefore presentable as evidence or character reference.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against a balanced budget amendment, with exceptions only for periods of declared war, a declining annual GDP, or in the event of a major natural disaster?

 

DJR: I will vote for a balanced budget. The brakes on spending must be hit and hit hard. Deficit spending means ‘continue writing checks with no money in the bank.’ For those not in government, that is a felony. Only in the government has it been accepted as practice to write hot checks. “But it is the government…” But it is immoral, unethical, and illegal! Sacrifices in services will have to be made. Taxes will have to be paid. Escape clauses and shelters will have to be shut down. Free spending without thought of repayment must become a thing of the past.

 

All government offices within the states and USA federal must be required to meet budget, fiscal responsibility, and sound business practice or be fired … employment terminated. Everyone else in the private sector must deal with this issue. It is time for those in government to deal with the same issues.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against requiring that each student demonstrates mastery of the English language, at their grade level, before being allowed to enter the next grade in the public school system, and that those who cannot, be required to successfully complete an English immersion class?

 

DJR: Yes. American English is the predominant, common language of the USA. Our school systems are supposed to be designed to make our population and the next generation of adults competent to manage their country. Demonstrating basic capabilities and understanding of English, Science, History, Mathematics, and Economics should be federally mandated standards across all USA states, territories, and holdings.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against allowing the movement of prisons and prisoners offshore?

 

DJR: Against. We cannot control and enforce rehabilitation and restitution if we give our criminals to someone else to manage. They could be turned into insurgents. No, we must work together, federal and state, to bring our prisoners back to viable members of society.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against life in prison or the death penalty, on the first offense, for rapists and child molesters?

 

DJR: I would like to give a blanket statement answer here, but I can’t. It depends on the severity of the case. It depends on additional circumstances. The penalties should be severe. There should be clear legal options for the judges to make their decisions in weighing the cases.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against government assistance of any kind for any company that does not have at least an A- bond rating (S&P)?

 

DJR: This question is ambiguous. “Any kind” is too large of a concept. Some non-profit organizations that currently receive would not be able to receive any funding under this statement. “Government assistance” is the part that needs to clarified and defined. Government ‘bailout’ should not be an option. There are programs that help small businesses, start up businesses, in-home businesses, and not-for-profit businesses. These should still be managed closely and with an eye to being within expense budget.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against creating a law that limits the number of immigrants who can become citizens in any single year to one percent or less of the population (that would be approximately three million immigrants this year)?

 

DJR: At the initial outset, I would say yes. But, before we say yes to anything firm we will need to look at the condition of the nation and our infrastructure. Can we absorb 30 million people over a ten year period? For those trying to gain lawful entry into the USA and work toward citizenship, I can only imagine the frustration this conversation gives you. The real target is to make it more manageable for legal entry into the USA vice the illegal entry across the country side.

 

Illegal entry into the USA is illegal entry. Those persons caught need to be returned to their capital cities and remanded to the federal authorities there.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against permitting the sale of all legal goods over the internet?

 

DJR: This is already the case.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against all financial backing of the oil industry by the government?

 

DJR: Financial backing? No. Partnership with energy companies for sustainable alternative fuel sources? Yes. Investment or partnership dollars invested would be expected to be paid back. It is not free money from the US Treasury. It is tax dollars that belong to all tax payers who put the money in there in the first place. There should be an expectation to pay back the money like any other venture capitalist gets paid back their percentage of investment.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against capping the amount of money spent on all types of welfare payments (excluding Social Security & Medicare) to less than 3 percent of federal tax receipts each year?

 

DJR: Define welfare. Part of the US Constitution preamble says to promote the general welfare. It does not state ‘to fund it all.’ First, a balanced budget. Second, spending within income projections. Third, petition this year for next year’s projected discretionary funding. Caveat, if the fund is less than projected the authorized payout funding will be a matching percentage decrease. It goes with a balanced budget concept.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against supporting the right of citizens to bear arms?

 

DJR: It is a part of the US Constitution. I will not support any change to the first 10 Amendments.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against allowing established churches to manage federal welfare distribution for recipients who agree to use them instead of a government agency (as long as the government is involved in providing welfare)?

 

DJR: For. Many of the faith-based organizations already have the infrastructure and distribution channels. Why should our government and our tax dollars go to rebuild something that is already there? What would be needed is careful oversight of the programs from an accounting and standard business practices standpoint; not a theological or ideological standpoint. Government oversight and accounting, not management.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against requiring annual reductions in total “greenhouse” emissions by at least 5 percent year over year?

 

DJR: For. Force the hand of industry to better manage our environment. We have proven over and over again we are able to rise to the challenge. Here is one more. Now, we cannot allow our government to ‘edict’ green house gases reduction without firm partnership in solution finding. This is where our government partners with our businesses to find cleaner solutions and better energy sources or manufacturing processes that do not negatives impact our environment. It is a process, not an overnight change.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against amending the Constitution to state that guiding principles should always override technicalities and extremist groups?

 

DJR: No. Better judges and attorneys will do that for us more easily than working to change the US Constitution. The US Constitution, our legal history, and our faith are our guiding principles. Argumentative nit-picking over technicalities or extremist groups with preponderant lawyers need to be addressed by judges and attorneys-general appropriately. Our judicial system needs to step away from “It all depends on what your definition of is is.” The judge or attorney should have asked for a recess to get an unabridged dictionary to ensure common vernacular before moving on. That nonsensical jurisprudence needs to no longer be tolerated by the bench or its officers.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against allowing a panel of doctors to overrule the health care decision of a parent for a critically ill minor? For example, if three doctors recommend chemotherapy as the only viable treatment, but the child or parents oppose, should the doctor’s decision prevail?

 

DJR: This is a difficult situation. In matters of faith and the sanctity of family it is paramount that these decisions are not taken lightly. If in the best interest of the life of the child, a panel of credible physicians should be able to advise a sitting judge the merits or detractors of specific life saving care. It will be then the judge’s position to hear both sides and arguments, or taking the case to jury if requested, to render judgment. In every instance the weight of the parents’ wishes, their faith, the laws of the land, and the sanctity of the life of the child should be considered before final decisions are made.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against supporting the right of every citizen to carry a concealed weapon, assuming they can demonstrate basic firearm competence, but excluding those who have been convicted of a felony or deemed to be mentally incompetent?

 

DJR: This is an area best determined by each state. Each state should manage how they license the possession and carrying of handguns. If, as in the example question, there is ample training, testing, and demonstration of competence, there should be no impediment to possessing and carrying a firearm. Convicted felons lose or regain rights based on the laws of the state in which they live/reside. Those deemed to be mentally incompetent should not possess firearms if it is determined the nature of their debility may pose a danger to themselves or others.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against a federal budget that includes any item whose benefit is primarily for a single state (e.g., a bridge in Alaska, or a levee in Louisiana)?

 

DJR: Governor Palin was right to discredit the bridge to no where. That was misspending fed dollars. Who was the oversight to this bill? This kind of mismanagement of funds in the private sector would get you fired and possibly brought up on charges of mismanagement of funds and the public trust [if a public held company]. The President of the USA needs the line item veto, needs to read every line, jot, and tittle of the proposed law, and decide whether to kick back the whole thing or just those things that do not belong.

 

Governmental budgets should be built around the charter, mission, and business of the government. It should not allow or tolerate or accept funds to be spend ‘willy-nilly.’ That should not fly in the private sector and it should not fly in the government sector.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against amending the Constitution to make an abortion legal for only the first three months after conception excluding cases of rape, incest or serious risk to the mother’s life?

 

DJR: Roe v Wade, Doe v Bolton should be struck down as unconstitutional. If there is any change to the US Constitution, there should be an amendment or clause that promotes the sanctity of life and individual sovereignty. The two primaries of both cases actually worked against the cases going to the USSC, but the organizations funding the lawyers drove the case beyond the wishes of the persons so named. It was clearly a case of USSC Justices kowtowing to lawyers and PACs to push legislation from the highest judicial bench in the US. The counter to that decision is for another USSC bench to overturn the decision or an amendment to the US Constitution.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against amending the Constitution with a “law of predominant majority”, which says the “rights” of groups can be denied if they have consistently demonstrated behavior that 95 percent of the population considers unacceptable? For example, 95 percent of the population would likely vote that a public KKK rally should NOT be allowed, overriding the “right” of free speech for that particular group.

 

DJR: Against. Even those whose opinions greatly differ from the majority are still entitled to have their opinion. The US Constitution insures that right. Without which, you would not be reading my writing as you are.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against a law that requires final legislation to be available for public review at least seven days prior to the vote?

 

DJR: This idea has merit. In the last big bill that hit Congress, they were given 3 days to ingest and understand over 1000 pages of doctrine before voting on it. It was driven like a ramrod through both Houses of Congress and signed on the President’s desk without anyone really reading what was in it until after the fact. That ought not be so. There should be at least an hour for every page set aside to view and understand the document before it is reviewed on the House or Senate floor.

 

GOOOH!: If we do not change to a consumption tax, will you vote for or against establishing an indexed Corporate Minimum Tax (CMT) of at least 15 percent, similar to the personal Alternative Minimum Tax, requiring profitable corporations to pay at least that amount (as a percent of revenue), independent of expenses, deductions, and overseas activities?

 

DJR: The entire tax and tariff system of the USA needs an overhaul. I heard that the US Tax Code is 27,000 pages and growing. Why? A simplified tax and tariff system can be devised, several ideas have been proposed. Let us find the one that is least onerous, simplest to execute, least expensive to manage and maintain, and does not allow wiggle room for those do not want to pay taxes. The tax rate on everyone would probably go down if everyone just paid their taxes. I do not have a problem in paying my taxes. I have a BIG problem in how it is misspent.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against a presidential line item veto?

 

DJR: Line item veto … YES!!! That will certainly stop MCs and Senators from tagging on items that have nothing to do with the original bill. An option might be the President gives a line item veto to those things he/she does not think should be in the bill and sends that back to Congress to revote to resend to the President. That would take away the argument of the Executive legislating rather than the Legislature. [Hint to Judicial, that is the way it supposed to be.]

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against a penalty of at least twenty years in prison, on the first offense, for dealers 16 or older who sell drugs to minors?

 

DJR: Against. First offenders should have a strong shot at rehabilitation, restoration, and restitution. Second offense, double the time minimum. Third time, double again minimum time and hard labor.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against the legalization of marijuana?

 

DJR: Against. Too many negatives. Not enough positives. Its dangers outweigh its benefits.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against permitting religious activities on local, state, and federal property (such as schools, libraries, and municipal buildings), at the discretion of the members of each site?

 

DJR: For. The property belongs to the people of that community. Not the government. The government manages on behalf of the citizenry. The government does not have ‘rule’ over the citizenry. If the people of the government, aka the citizens of the community, want to show community pride and celebrate seasonal events, let them.

 

This has nothing to do with ‘separation of church and state.’ The separation was and is to keep government out of the church, not church out of the government.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against granting citizenship to a child born in this country whose mother is not a U.S. citizen, not married to a U.S. citizen, or not in the country legally?

 

DJR: Against. If the mother comes the USA illegally and gives birth, she and the child are returned to her country of origin.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against allowing individuals to invest a percentage of their retirement benefits in an option of their choice, including mutual funds, bond funds and index funds?

 

DJR: Against. The reason is the current market mismanagement of funds. It is not a viable marketplace. Only those well educated in the stock and bond market minutia will be able to take clear advantage. What would be ideal is for the US government to pay back into the accounts it has mismanaged and make them sacrosanct, untouchable except by those who are receiving their payout due. There have been too many money grubbers drunk on spending and grabbed at anything they could find. That is why our governments are so far in the hole. They are off mission and off task.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against a National Health Care System, funded with tax dollars and controlled by the federal government, that provides health care to every American citizen?

 

DJR: Against. It is a duplication of state and county systems already in place. The best way of spending in discretionary healthcare funding is to prop up the current local health care systems.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) for all future federal elections (e.g. President, Senate, House of Representative)?

 

DJR: Against. To guard against mob rule, to validate the process, and to certify the voting already presented, I will oppose IRV. The value of those who did vote needs to be fully honored before a runoff is arranged. On the Presidential voting, I have already voiced my opinion and option of the “One State, One Vote” amendment.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against supporting the Kyoto Protocol (as written)?

 

DJR: Against. I am wary of any document that binds the US to rule or oversight by external governments. Partnerships are one thing, but subservience cannot be accepted.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against reducing the total number of federal employees by at least 5 percent each year you are in office?

 

DJR: For reduction in the size of government. Government is designed to serve its citizenry. Our government is designed to provide certain functions but not all functions. A review of what offices and jobs are in government is needed, then a restructure and potential loss of services based on positions eliminated as unnecessary. 5% may be too little, it may be too much for the first year. It is something that would have to be reviewed, reported, and acted upon.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against limiting the amount of foreign aid provided to any one country, in any year, to a maximum of 10,000 times the median income ($460 million), and to only allow a country to receive funds for a maximum of two years in any five year period, excepting those nations in a declared war with a foreign enemy or a genocidal situation?

 

DJR: Against. I answered foreign aid earlier.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against requiring that birth control pills be made available, for free, to all teenage girls?

 

DJR: Against. Teenage girls should be focused on school and education that will benefit them later in life. Help remove the possibility through proper sex and heath education.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against requiring those who have entered our country illegally to, when caught, work on a government project without pay for one year before being deported? One example of a project could be a wall that separates the United States and Mexico, though all other projects could be considered.

 

DJR: Against. Forced labor is slavery. Catch and send back to their country’s capital.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against eliminating the federal Department of Education and returning all authority to the states over a period of four years or less?

 

DJR: Against. The DoE role should be the insurance that all school systems in the USA are working toward a common and improving education system. Oversight but not management. The states’ role is to oversee and management the education within their state.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against term limits of four years (two terms) or less for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives?

 

DJR: For term limits. HoR, no more than 5 continuous or 10 years. Senate, no more than 2 continuous. Let Strom Thurmond’s record hold forever.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against replacing the current tax system with the FairTax as proposed by Linder and Boortz?

 

DJR: Against. As a concept it sounds good. In execution, difficult. If you replace a difficult to manage tax system with another difficult to manage tax system have you really done anything to aid the tax system? There are other options. Dr Alan Keyes and Steve Forbes both offered alternative taxing options. My strong push will be for a simpler system to execute, manage, and collect.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against a Guest Worker Program that allows non-U.S. citizens to work in the United States?

 

DJR: Yes. Those who want to come into the USA legally and provide viable services are welcome.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against increasing income taxes, excepting only during a period of declared war?

 

DJR: Depends on where the state of the taxes are at the time I am in office. The target is not taxes. The target is a balanced budget and the right expenditures. If we pare down those things the USA government should not be paying then look at the cost of paying for those things we need to pay and look at projected income then we can determine what is the right tax base. Also, there should be serious efforts made to get people and corporations to pay their taxes correctly. I am not talking Joe and Jane Middle-America. Joe and Jane pay their taxes. I am talking those who find shelters, take advantages, and off-shores to skip on paying what is justly due.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against declaring that the rights of a person who commits a crime and is subsequently found guilty, to have been forfeited from the moment the crime was committed until the moment he is released?

 

DJR: Against. This is already in place. The only thing that could be added to that, if needed, would be a federal oversight to ensure equal treatment under the law for all prisoners. Some states do allow that a former felon can return to society and regain certain rights over time. I believe that is right and has the best long term results.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against allowing each state to continue drawing its congressional districts in a partisan manner as is done today?

 

DJR: Against. This would be like pushing a boulder up a steep hill but it does need to be fixed. Representatives should be chosen from an even population base within a community. I have seen one map for congressional districts that looked like an insane person drew it and no one could adequately explain to my why it was drawn the way it was.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against amending the Constitution to make abortion legal at all times?

 

DJR: Against. See answers above.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against removing the worst 3 percent of judges each year, determined by the number of decisions overturned by a higher court? This question targets those who are actively legislating from the bench, those who show a consistent tendency to rule based on political or personal preference rather than written law.

 

DJR: For removal. Add to that those who are receiving consistently the lowest ratings from peer review, judicial review, and BAR review.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against reducing retirement payments to the "wealthy" or those whose children are wealthy, by at least 50 percent? Wealthy is defined as $11.5m in assets.

 

DJR: Against. These citizens worked just like everyone. Paid in just like everyone else. They should receive the payout, just like everyone else. Now, it is up to Congress to manage our government so that every has a chance to get the payout, just like everyone else.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against changing the retirement age to sixty-nine immediately, and index the retirement age for those under the age of fifty to “life expectancy” minus five years?

 

DJR: Against. If someone does not want to retire, they do not have to retire unless physically and mentally no longer able to work. Congress needs to manage their funding better.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against the United States withdrawing from the U.N.?

 

DJR: Against. We cannot influence or participate with the world if we do not engage them in conversation. The planet has grown small, and smaller each year that goes by. We need to engage our neighbors in good conversations. They need to know our mind and we need to know theirs. We need to work together for the longevity of our planet.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against the government providing Health Care vouchers to every American citizen that can be used to purchase health insurance from either the government or a private provider, thus ensuring that every American has access to coverage?

 

DJR: Against. I stated above that the fed should work with the states and local health care systems rather than trying to build their own infrastructure. Use the existing one. It would be more cost effective.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against supporting the death penalty in cases of murder?

 

DJR: Against. Initially my thinking was ‘an eye for an eye’ but even while that is stated in the Judeo-Christian Bible, the Law allowed for 5 sanctuary cities. If they ever left the city, the injured family could freely kill the killer. We won’t go there in the USA but we can provide a life for them outside of normal society and provide them a way to live productive lives. Incarcerated, certainly. Just isolated, no. Put them to work. Let them pay for part of the room and board. As I pointed out earlier, our prison system should work toward profitability.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against limiting deployment to 10,000 troops, for a maximum of three years, in any country which we are not at war with and have not been for any of the last ten?

 

DJR: Against. The needs of our troops in forward deployment cannot be determined by a blanket answer. The situation will warrant the actual need based off of the educated and reasoned advice of our generals and admirals in forward positions. We do need to lower our international footprint of forward deployed troops. I propose four types of ready troops: rapid response, forward deployed, home/sustained deployment, and ready reserves.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against limiting the time that any person or family can receive welfare to twenty-four months or less in any five year period?

 

DJR: Against. I don’t think you can set a hard target like that. It would have to depend on the specific needs of the person receiving aid. Now should there be an end goal to get the person off of aid and economically self-viable? Absolutely.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against allowing those seeking citizenship an opportunity to serve in the military for six years in exchange for citizenship, but ensure that mercenaries make up no more than 10 percent of military personnel?

 

DJR: For.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against allowing citizens who are mentally sound, older than their “life expectancy” and terminally ill, to opt for euthanasia?

 

DJR: Against.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against a law requiring the children of elected officials to attend the public school in the district in which they live?

 

DJR: Against. If they are from Texas it does not seem reasonable that the parent should live so much of their time in Washington without their children. If the elected state or local official is able to afford from their income resources a different schooling option for their child, let them.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against government funded Health Care for all Americans under the age of twenty-one?

 

DJR: Against. As I said in other places, the Fed should work with state and local health care systems.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against decreasing total foreign aid contributions to match the average contributions of the leading countries in the world in absolute dollars: Britain ($4.9b), Germany ($5.3b), France ($5.5b), China ($0), Russia ($0), Australia ($1.0b), Canada ($1.0b), and Japan ($9.9b), or approximately $3.5 billion per year ($27.6b / 8)?

 

DJR: Against. The USA gives according to our ability to give. If other countries cannot or will not match that, it is their loss.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against supporting states' rights over federal rights at least 90 percent of the time?

 

DJR: Against. The US Constitution is quite clear in the separation of powers between the federal and state governments. It is already quite clearly stated.

 

GOOOH!: As long as the federal government remains involved in the education system, will you vote for or against the teaching of religion in public schools, as an elective?

 

DJR: For, as long as it is fair and balanced. Current indoctrination through the education system is the invalidated belief in evolution. Intelligent design and other equally valid arguments are not compared or explored. In true science, all possibilities are presented to allow the mind of the individual to seek out the possibilities. Current philosophical teaching in public and higher education does not support that. Chiefly, what is taught is evolutionary atheism.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against legislation declaring that those in the country illegally do not have any of the rights granted to citizens of our country, other than the right to humane treatment?

 

DJR: For. Catch them and send them back if they are here illegally.

 

GOOOH!: As long as the federal government remains involved in the education system, Will you vote for or against a law that requires the removal of the bottom 3 percent of teachers in each school district each year?

 

DJR: I answered this above. There should be a grading system on teachers, principals, and administrators. Those who consistently fail to meet standards or removed from employment. Option back in? Remedial education via accredited course work to validate new learnings.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against amending the Constitution to re-establish and re-clarify equal rights for all over special rights for a few (e.g. prisoners, seniors, students, gays, and minorities)?

 

DJR: Carefully, I would vote for. By carefully, I would give serious thought and discussion to any attempt to modify our current US Constitution. Secondly, the addition verbiage I would add would deal with the US concept of ‘individual sovereignty.’ The rights of a special class, or protected class, of citizenry create dangerous precedents that I do not think we want here in the USA. In the case of prisoners, their rights were forfeited by felonious acts. Seniors, students, and minorities are already protected. Those who identify themselves by their sexuality [gay, lesbian, trans-gender, etc.] are already protected under Civil Rights Act titles, EEOC guidelines, and the US Constitution.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against a law that requires all legislation be limited to one subject?

 

DJR: For. Give the President the line item veto and that will shorten a lot of legislation that comes to the desk.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against the establishment of a government program to facilitate the design of an alternative Transportation System, developed by private companies who can propose solutions that utilize cleaner, more efficient, fuels (such as fuel cells), is not dependent on a foreign country, and can begin deployment within ten years?

 

DJR: I will for a partnership with the understanding these partner companies must pay back the USA for the investments just as they would pay back in other investor.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against limiting total military spending to 3 percent of GDP, excluding periods when our nation is imminently at risk of war with another country or a recognized military unit (i.e., claiming we are at war with terrorists is not the same as being at war with another country)?

 

DJR: Against. While I would like to see military spending reduced to those dollars and percentages, an unstable world precludes that. If we lower our guard now, we make ourselves vulnerable to anyone who thinks they are close enough militarily to pick a fight. World history has proven that last statement over and over.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against supporting a completely free press at all times?

 

DJR: For. I may not like it sometimes but I will defend their right to free press in the USA.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against a law that requires each representative to certify he/she has personally read the final version of a bill, in its entirety, prior to being allowed to vote for the bill?

 

DJR: For.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against the government providing free computers to all minors?

 

DJR: Against. The state and local run education system is the best place for learning solutions. The US government handout of computers to minors would only be clumsy and mismanaged.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against eliminating all government price and production controls, including abolishment of the minimum wage?

 

DJR: Against. The US government oversight into production quality and safety have saved more than they have harmed. The minimum wage has forced businesses to keep the base hourly rate on track with inflation, somewhat.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against providing government funds to the ACLU?

 

DJR: Against. A private law firm that spends more time separating USA citizens is not really trying to benefit. Not one of my little copper pennies should go to them.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against terminating all medical litigation by creating a separate account, funded by a 2 percent take of all medical procedures, that will be used to compensate patients or their families when the medical system fails?

 

DJR: Against. That would create a slush fund for law suits.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against reducing the cost per inmate, currently estimated at almost $30,000 per year, by 10 percent each year, until the number is less than the national average spent on public education?

 

DJR: For. The average cost for maintaining an inmate should be reduced to a zero sum balance; meaning, the inmate and the facility should be engaged in activities that lead toward profitability and re-introduction back into society.

 

GOOOH!: As long as the federal government remains involved in the education system, will you vote for or against giving vouchers to students so that they can attend the school of their choice (including home schooling)?

 

DJR: For. Improve the local systems and the parents would be less likely to move their children.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against funding the development of fuel cell technology beyond all others?

 

DJR: Against. We cannot put all of our ‘eggs in one basket.’ It would be unrealistic to expect one technology to jump of a sudden to the forefront and that being the one we chose. Several technologies were being looked at when the gas internal combustion engine came to forefront. We must be forward thinking and searching for new technologies and not settling everything on one solution.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against amending the Constitution to exclude people with a law degree from serving in the House of Representatives?

 

DJR: Against. Not all lawyers are bad.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against limiting the fees a plaintiff’s legal representative can receive to one hundred times the amount a plaintiff in the case receives? As an example, if a plaintiff receives $10,000, the combined legal fees could not exceed one million dollars.

 

DJR: Against. It is incumbent upon the law firm to submit reasonable fees for its services. That does not mean, however, the judge will rule that all of those fees are payable. If the law firm is so unethical as to charge those fees to its client, then the client needs a new law firm.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against removing juveniles from their parent(s) after the juvenile's third arrest, sending them to live in a boot camp that focuses on education and discipline?

 

DJR: Against. However, if a felony, the teenager should go to a ‘boot camp’ environment to learn some discipline and well as demanding educational training during that same time frame. The second and third trips as well. If a fourth trip, then a more real incarceration, rehabilitation, and restitution program would be inacted.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against only applying the Endangered Species Act to animals that are larger in mass than a golf ball (i.e. eliminate protection for species such as salamanders, crickets and spiders)?

 

DJR: For.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against allowing parents to have a vote for each of their children under the age of eighteen, fathers for their sons and mothers for their daughters?

 

DJR: Against.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against reducing total expenditures on government programs by at least 5 percent each year you are in office?

 

DJR: For, if not more than 5% per year.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against fining employers 3 percent or more of their gross income if they hire illegal immigrants not registered as "Guest Workers" on their first offense?

 

DJR: Against. There should already be a process, up to imprisonment, for knowing hiring / harboring illegal immigrants. The Fed / Homeland Security or US ICE should have oversight and input. If it goes across borders or aids in the traffic of the FBI and federal justice will engage at that point.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against funding nuclear power plants to help address our energy needs?

 

DJR: For. And, add to that updated oil and gas refineries.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against the right of lawyers to use whatever means necessary to defend a client, including concealing information and using "technicalities," as long as they do not violate a written law?

 

DJR: Against.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against reducing farm subsidy allocations by at least 25 percent each year you are in office?

 

DJR: Against. Farm subsidies need to be reviewed. There are some farms that cannot survive without them and others that are over producing. Our US farming industry needs to be reviewed.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against capping medical expenditures, paid by the government (e.g. Medicare and National Health care [if we get there]; does not apply to care for military personnel) in any five year period for any one person, to 25 times the median income (approximately $1.1 million dollars)?

 

DJR: Against. I would have to see additional data on this metric quoted.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against amending the Constitution to specifically affirm that we are a nation under God, that God is welcome in all that we do, but no man can be forced to participate in worship at any time or in any way?

 

DJR: Against. The US Constitution is written to keep the government from establishing a religion, or in the case of atheists establishing a non-religion.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against preventing lawyers from knowingly misrepresenting the truth to defend their client?

 

DJR: Against. It is called lying. In court it is somewhat illegal and the misrepresenting lawyer can be dis-BAR’ed.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against lifetime prison terms for those who possess a gun while committing a felonious act?

 

DJR: Against. They should have to re-earn the right to possess firearms. They should serve hard labor and be rehabilitated back toward normal society. See statements above.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against legislation that targets lowering the number of homeless by at least 5 percent each year?

 

DJR: Depends on the legislation and how they present it. To be effective the Fed and State need to reach out to the community and faith based organizations that are out there taking care of these people. Work with them to funnel the homeless into shelters and education toward homes and viability in society.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against setting congressional pay to four times the median income, indexing the salary, and replacing the congressional pension with a standard 401k retirement plan?

 

DJR: For.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against processing all people who commit a crime against a U.S. citizen who are not U.S. citizens in military tribunals instead of the U.S. legal system? (Effectively declaring they do not have the same rights as our citizens.)

 

DJR: Against. Non-US persons who commit crimes against US citizens should be tried in US courts under USA laws. Persons performing acts of war against the USA or US citizens should be dealt with as military combatants.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against eliminating the “by reason of insanity” defense?

 

DJR: Against. However, the sentencing that would have applied to a sane felon would apply to a felon deemed insane except in the location of the incarceration. The insane person would spend their sentence time in a facility for the criminally insane until such time as the sentence is fulfilled and they have proven themselves to no longer be a danger to themselves or society.

 

GOOOH!: Will you vote for or against United Nations recommendations or dictates given to the United States?

 

DJR: Depends. If it is something that requires the State Department to review prior to a decision being made, then it goes to the State Department. If it regards a treaty, that will go to the President to Congress for review and approval.

 

The USA is a sovereign nation of a sovereign people. We do not like being dictated to.

 

© 20090627 Dr. David J Rogers

Author's Note

No review necessary. However, it might cause some response. :)